Hometeam Football Flashback: Templeton High got a rude intro

TEMPLETON 
For generation upon generation, it seemed like some type of unbelievable legend, a tale so fictitious that it became nearly impossible to comprehend or give credence to.

Folks shook their heads in disbelief as time passed. No, it really didn't happen. It couldn't have happened. No high school football team could actually give up 112 points in one game.

But, alas, the story was passed on, rather ashamedly, from father to son, grandfather to grandson. Greenfield High had walloped Templeton High, 112-0, in 1922. And yes, old-timer, it's true. It really did happen.

It has been 90 years since that fateful day, Sept. 22, 1922, at Green River Park in Greenfield, though not a whole lot has been documented about the event.

The game happened to be the first played in the fledgling history of Templeton High, which ordinarily might be enough to make the school want to put the footballs in mothballs forever.

The former Baldwinville High, a precinct of the town of Templeton, played football in the 1890s. In addition, both the Templeton A.C. and Baldwinville A.C. had teams through the early part of the 20th century. However, this was Templeton's first foray into the gridiron wars.

Even though it was the season opener for the Hilltowners of Templeton, its local newspaper, the Gardner News, simply offered this two-line recap of the game:

“Templeton High School has a football team, but it isn't much to brag about. Greenfield High School had a picnic trimming it 112-0 at Greenfield Saturday afternoon.”

Since nothing more than that was included in the writeup, one may have thought it could have been a typographical error, with a 12-0 “trimming” perhaps the real score.

However, the Greenfield Recorder was less than kind to the Templeton squad in its game account, using the scathing headline: “LOCALS OUTCLASS TEMPLETON HIGH /Visitors Put Up Crude Exhibition Against Greenfield School Team.”

The article pointed out that the Templeton team “demonstrated little knowledge of the gridiron pastime” in the game and was “unmercifully beaten.”

“As the score indicates, the visitors were completely outclassed, failing to make any impression on the Greenfield line when they were in possession of the ball, and were unable to hold the locals on downs at anytime during the contest,” the newspaper added.

Opposing coach Nichols used his entire squad, but Templeton “fared no better with the scrubs than with the regulars,” the Recorder pointed out.

Greenfield bolted to a 28-0 lead after one quarter and a 47-0 advantage at intermission.

Nichols started an entire eleven of “rookies” in the third quarter, but the Greenfield lead grew to 59-0 after three periods.

Finally, a full squad of reserves scored a total of eight touchdowns in the final quarter, with the last points coming on a kickoff return, to put the icing on the 112-0 onslaught.

Since it was not customary to use first names in game writeups during that era, the story simply stated that fullback Metz led the Greenfield scorers with four touchdowns, right halfback Burke and starting quarterback Art Kelley accounted for three scores each.

Left halfback Thompson, second-string right halfback Cowan and sub quarterback Vickery tallied two touchdowns apiece, and third-string quarterback Corliss also scored in the marathon.

The same Greenfield team played a 4-4-1 Gardner High team that season to a scoreless tie, so it doesn't seem as though the Greenies were a football powerhouse back then.

However, Gardner showed a similar lack of mercy for neighboring Templeton later that season with a 62-0 trouncing on Nov. 25.

The Templeton team that year played three other games which were reported to the Gardner paper. They were drubbed by Palmer a month later, 48-0, then regrouped in mid-November to be nipped by East Pepperell, 16-14, before falling to the Alumni on Thanksgiving Day, 12-0.

It would be a full 13 years later until Templeton reached the pinnacle of success with an undefeated 1935 season, and then followed that up with the state baseball championship the following spring.

However, the landmark defeat to Greenfield, 90 years ago this week, was one which would remain a sore spot for the Hilltown football eleven for many years to come.

Anniversary of 107-0 game
For the record, next month just happens to mark the 100th anniversary of another ignominious defeat in the annals of Central Mass. football, when Worcester North was defeated by Westboro High, 107-0.

And, had the Westboro kicker by the name of Boland had a slightly more accurate foot, the final score may have surpassed even the Greenfield-Templeton game.

A relatively small box in the upper corner of the Oct. 13, 1912, Worcester Sunday Telegram sports page ran the headline, “Score is 107 to 0 — North High beaten by Westboro High,” with the subheading “Goal Line crossed Seventeen times.”

In a game played on Wilson's Field in Westboro, “The Westboro boys scored when they pleased,” the Telegram pointed out, adding, “The Westboro backs were too speedy for the Worcester team.”

The scant bit of information in the article noted that left end Devin, left halfback Frank and starting tackle Hogan scored three touchdowns apiece. Right halfback Waldron, quarterback Whitney and fullback Canfield had two each, while center Robinson and right end Haskell had one.

Boland added to the point total by booting five “goals from touchdown,” but everything didn't go right for the Westboro squad.